18th Street Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Illegal Reentry and Firearms Offenses

BOSTON - An illegal alien has pleaded guilty to illegally selling a firearm and ammunition while he was unlawfully residing in Chelsea, Mass. The defendant, a Mexican national, was previously deported from the United States twice.

Luis Angel Rodriguez-Celaya, a/k/a "Menor," a/k/a "La Gargola," 27, pleaded guilty to one count of being an alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition and one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. United States District Judge Myong J. Joun scheduled sentencing for Sept. 22, 2026.

According to charging documents, Rodriguez-Celaya met with a cooperating witness in Chelsea on Feb. 26, 2025 to conduct an illegal firearm transaction. Rodriguez-Celaya sold the witness a .22 caliber semiautomatic "Draco" pistol and eight rounds of .22 caliber ammunition for $1,500 cash. Rodriguez-Celaya was illegally present in the United States at the time of the transaction. He was deported from the United States twice before and warned not to return: first in March 2017 and again in May 2022.

The charge of being an alien unlawfully present in the United States in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations; Suffolk County and Middlesex County District Attorney's Offices; and the Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Falmouth, Lynn, Medford, Nantucket and Revere Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Wyshak of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.